1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to powered earthmoving and cultivating equipment, such as tractors, skid loaders, end loaders, and the like. More particularly, the present invention comprises a gravity actuated swing arm or boom that may be removably attached to one side or end of an end loader bucket for picking up and moving objects from the side of the bucket to a position generally forward of the bucket, or the opposite maneuver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Agricultural and earthmoving equipment are commonly equipped with hydraulically actuated earthmoving buckets. Many such machines are equipped with such buckets as integral components of the machines, while other machines may be equipped with such buckets as aftermarket add-on components. The end loader bucket has proven to be a very versatile device, suitable not only for earthmoving and landscaping operations, but also for the loading, unloading, and carriage of a wide variety of different materials as desired.
A number of different attachments have been developed for such end loader buckets and assemblies in order to provide even greater versatility for the devices. However, such devices are generally limited in their utility and are immovably affixed to the bucket or its supporting structure, or manually adjusted thereon. An example of such a device is found in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-112,962 published on May 7, 1993. This device (according to the drawings and English abstract) is a sod cutting blade, which is installed in a permanently affixed socket within the center of a power shovel or bucket. The blade may be turned manually to cut either lateral or longitudinal grooves in sod, depending upon the orientation of the blade and the machine to which it is attached. Due to its essentially vertical disposition and symmetry, the blade cannot rotate or swing due to gravity as the bucket is tilted. Any change in blade angle must be accomplished manually.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, an end loader bucket attachment solving the aforementioned problems is desired.